On a fictional reservation, 16-year-old Josh “Creeboy” navigates the world of Indigenous gang life. His family members are no strangers to gangs. His dad, the leader of one on his reservation, is in jail, and his older brother Darion has taken his father’s place. Josh is unsure whether gang life is for him. But angry, hurt and frustrated by systemic racism against Indigenous peoples, Josh, now known as Creeboy, starts down the path to becoming a full gang member.
Can his family, and his community, save Josh before his fate becomes that of his father and brother?
Only rarely does a novel offer an inside look at gang life – not only its tension and violence, but its appeal.
Razor looked over the gang and said, “We are Warriors. The best gang for life. You know what it is. Show me your signs.” Some raised shirts and pointed to a W tattoo on the left of their chests. Others pointed to scars from stab and bullet wounds like honor badges.
When he was five years old, Creighton's mother left. He and his father know she has started a career as a singer but not much more than that. Dad's work with a carnival means they have not set down roots anywhere for long and as a result Creighton does not have a formal education. When they finally settle in a small town, Creighton is 14 years old. When he starts school there, he is placed in an alternate school -- which it turns out is a place for "losers" -- kids who struggle with learning.
Gradually Creighton meets other kids in his new school -- like Schooner who can't read but has his own kind of wisdom and Carin who was a victim of sexual assault when she was thirteen. There is one teacher at the school who truly cares about the students and who encourages their hopes for the future. But when she announces she is leaving at the end of the year, the students feel abandoned. School becomes irrelevant and the students are left to fend for themselves. How will they manage to survive in spite of all the personal disasters that challenge them?